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E. M. SMITH.

Lighting Picure Galleries.

Patented Aug. 4, i868.

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Letters Patent No. 80,570, dated August 4, 1868 IMPROVEMENT INLIGHTING'UP PICTURE-GALLERIES.

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To ALL wI-ioiu 1T MAY eoNoEnN:

Be it known that I, EDGAR B-LSMITII, of the city, county, and State ofNew York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Lightingup Picture-Galleries, or other rooms or buildings where a. bright lightis required in some portions of the room, and a dim light required inother portions thereof; and I do hereby declare-the followingto be afull, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had tothe accom? panying drawings, making a part of this specification, inwhichi v Figure 1 represents, in perspective, a room with thelighting-apparatus therein, and the lighted portions and shaded ordimly-lighted portions shown therein. l

Figure 2 represents a perspective view, on an enlarged scale, Aof thelighting-apparatus.

Figure 3 represents a vertical cross-section through the lighter. i

Similar letters of reference, where they occur in the separate figures,denote like parts in all of the drawings.

In picture-galleries, it is desirable to have a bright light upon thepictures hanging on the walls, anda dim light where the observer stands,audno flame visible, or flaring in the eye of the beholder.

To accomplish these objects and purposes is the aim of my invention; andmy invention consists in a burner or lighter that will throw a brightlight all through the room, except that portion of it at and-below theline of vision of an ordinary person, and without 'any ilame visiblethat would dazzle the eye of the beholder, and detract from the pictureswhich are in a bright light. l

And my invention further consists in making the lighter or burner sothat the lino of bright and dim light may be varied when desired. 4'Io--enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, Iwill proceed to describe thesamc with reference to the drawings.

The frame A A' of the lighteris made to correspond te the shape of thc`room, gallery, or apartment it is to be used in, and nin-y'be square,oblong, round, oval, or many-sided. And this frame may be composed oftwo pieces, viz, the one, A, `oiflanged or angled metal, to hold theground-glass plates in, and the other, A', may be the gas-pipe, throughwhichgas is furnished to the burners a a a.

The lower edges ofthe ground or otherwise dimmed glass, B, are caught ina groove or ilange in the frame A, and the plates incline upwards, so asto form a section oi' a ilat hollow pyramid, cone, orother shape,depending on the shape of the room or gallery to be lighted. Bent rods,c c e, are fastened at their lower ends tothe frame A, and pass over thegas-,pipe or other portion ot1 the frame A, and thence downwardthroughs. hole made in each of the plates, and a ball, knob, or nut., e,(which may bc ornamental,) is run into a screw eut on the end of saidro'ds, so that by means of' balls, nuts, or other device, the plates ofglass, at their higher portions, can be raised or lowered, to change theheight of thedini light in the room, or the bright light on the walls.There is nothing below the dimmed plates that obstructs the light, noopaque material. The burners cannot be seen from below. 'l'he brightlight is thrown and reflected upon the walls, whilst the 'occupant ofthe room is in a. dimlight, with no burners visible from any point thathe can occupy.

In iig. I, the shaded line at z is supposed to be the height of 'the eyeof an ordinary observer, the red lines y g/ showiugthe line of brightlight thrown down from the lighter, so that-in 'a picture-gallery, theentire walls, above the height of the eye of auordinary-sized person,would be in bright light, whilst the person would always be in a dimlight, and in no position on the floor of the room-could lle perceiveany burning flame or.

dazzling light. Y Y

The lines of'deflected light thrown down, as shownby'the lines y g/,`canbe varied'by running up or down the nuts e, as above stated. l

The gas may be conveyed through the suspension-hook or ring fand thebrackets g, in -the usual wellknown way. i Y f Having thus fullydescribed my invention, what I claim therein as new. and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-

eo,57o 2 A lighter, so constructed with dimmed plate-glass underneaththe burners, as that all that portion of .a

room or gallery above the line of vision shall be in bright light, andall that portion below the ordinary line ofv vision he in dim orohsoured'light,A substantiallyns and for the purpose set forth.

I also claim, in combination with the dimmed plate-glass, the bent rodsand knobs, or their equivalents', for

changing the height of the bright light, and the dimmed light in theroom or gallery, substantially as and for the purpose described. v v

. EDGARfM. SMITH.

Witnesses:

WILLIAM H. REYNOLDS,

Cms. S. Bonn/ion.v

